


Best Couple (Class of 2018)

by Bloodyloveletters



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: College AU, M/M, Ryan's a sports bro, Shane's an art hoe, shyan prompt fill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 12:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17366153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodyloveletters/pseuds/Bloodyloveletters
Summary: Small groups of people milled around the grass, greeting each other warmly with hugs and smiles. The mood was celebratory if a bit sad, everyone painfully aware this may be the last time they saw each other for a long while. It was sunny and warm so most people had removed their graduation gowns and caps, standing instead in their neatly pressed formal attire. Shane stood off to one side, still wearing his cap at a jaunty angle with his arm looped loosely around his boyfriend’s waist. Ryan held a small shield-shaped trophy that read “Best Couple. Class of 2018.”, turning it over absentmindedly in his hands as he and Shane spoke animatedly to a friend.





	Best Couple (Class of 2018)

**Author's Note:**

> From this prompt:
> 
> Anonymous: writing suggestion: ~~high school~~ college au with art student shane and sport bro ryan and people being confused on how they're friends??? they're so different how do they do it??????
> 
> This is just a cheesy teen movie and i don't regret it at all

Small groups of people milled around the grass, greeting each other warmly with hugs and smiles. The mood was celebratory if a bit sad, everyone painfully aware this may be the last time they saw each other for a long while. It was sunny and warm so most people had removed their graduation gowns and caps, standing instead in their neatly pressed formal attire. Shane stood off to one side, still wearing his cap at a jaunty angle with his arm looped loosely around his boyfriend’s waist. Ryan held a small shield-shaped trophy that read “Best Couple. Class of 2018.”, turning it over absentmindedly in his hands as he and Shane spoke animatedly to a friend.

 

A freshmen they hadn’t spoken to before approached them tentatively as the friend made his goodbyes.

“Would you be okay if I interviewed you both?” he said, opening the A5 notepad in his hand to a couple of scrawled questions.

“You want to interview us?” Shane sounded amused by the idea, but interested. He adjusted his cap as he spoke, putting an inch or so of space between him and Ryan as they spoke to a stranger.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” the young reporter sounded nervous, “Just a few questions with the winners of Best Couple for the college newspaper. The winners of other categories are being interviewed as well.”

“Alright then,” Ryan said, “What do you want to ask us?”

 

The guy got out his phone, balancing it on the edge of his notebook and opening the voice notes app.

“Just so I can look back at your answers,” he explained, gesturing at the phone, “Okay, so, how long have you been together?”

“3 years, just gone,” Shane answered first, “We got together at the end of freshmen year.”

“We met back in middle school and were friends, but we didn’t get on very well for several years in the middle there. Luckily we sorted that out eventually,” Ryan smirked at Shane, effortlessly charming as always.

“Sounds like you’re pretty happy,” the reporter said. He was better than he looked, playing to their charisma, not asking too much and allowing them to lead the interview instead. They were both pretty big names on campus. Ryan was on the football team and the chair and founder of a fairly large supernaturalist society. Shane was known for with work with drama society and attending(/disturbing) Ryan’s meetings and for with his witty skepticism(/flirting with Ryan). It was clear to see why they’d been popular enough with their classmates to be voted Best Couple and the young interviewer clearly knew that left to their own devices, they’d write the interview for him.

“Ah! A carefully constructed rouse,” Shane gestured with his finger dramatically.

Ryan elbowed Shane in the ribs without hesitation, “We are happy, ignore him.”

“If you didn’t used to like each other, how did you end up getting together?” the freshmen said.

“It’s a-” Ryan glanced at Shane- “a pretty long story actually.”

“But we can tell it, if you like,” Shane smiled as the reporter nodded, shifting his notebook in his hands, pen waiting.

 

* * *

 

“Oh sorry, man, I didn't see you,” the call came from across the college grounds from one Ryan Bergara. Shane Madej didn't know who’d thrown the ball that hit him, but still tutted under his breath, irritated, as he collected up the books and papers he’d dropped. When he saw who was approaching him, however, he seethed.

“Oh, it's you,” Ryan said now, his voice openly full of contempt rather than apology. Shane gathered the rest of his belongings and drew himself to his full height.

“Yeah, it's me,” Shane pressed his tongue into the top row of teeth as he paused, mustering his most withering of looks, “I don't know how you even got that scholarship with aim that bad, it's not looking good for the Sharks or the Bears or whatever.”

“My aim is fine! You just weren't looking where you were going, I was throwing to Danny,” who gave a weak wave by way of a greeting to Shane.

“I swear sportspeople were supposed to have better reactions than that as well,” Shane quirked his eyebrows and smiled in a self satisfied kind of way that made anger flash behind Ryan's eyes.

“Maybe if you thought about anything other than yourself and your stupid self-obsessed art, Madej, then you would’ve seen us practicing,” Ryan squared up, standing straight and looking Shane in the eye. Ryan wasn't a tall man, but he prides himself on being a fair match to anyone and never feeling small. Although he would admit, that was difficult next to Shane 

“Oh Ryan, don't get so angry, I was just suggesting that you might need a little more practice on your aim before the season starts again,” Shane stood up straight, bending his neck to exaggerate how much he had to look down at Ryan.

“I think I had perfect aim,” Ryan tipped his head to one side and jutted his jaw out, keeping his tone low, “I hit exactly what I wanted to, Madej.”

“Well I've had enough of being your target practice, so I think I'll go get some work done. You know, since I actually worked to get in here,” Shane walked past Ryan at this, checking his shoulder as hard as he dared, adding quietly as he was closest to Ryan, “unlike some people.”

Ryan didn't have time to respond before Shane had marched off, long legs carrying him out of earshot.

 

Ryan struggled to dispel his frustrated energy after his confrontation with Shane, and after fumbling three catches in the row, he gave up. Instead, he and Danny wandered over to the campus cafeteria to get some lunch. They bought their food and sat down on the picnic style benches outside.

“So who was that?” Danny took a giant bite of his burger, looking across the table at Ryan, who seemed miles away.

“What do you mean?” Ryan swallowed a long sip of soda.

“That guy, Madej or something, who is he?” 

“Oh,” Ryan said flatly, “that's Shane.”

“Who's Shane?” Danny looked inquisitively at Ryan.

“He's this asshole from my high school. We used to be alright but he's always just been so full of himself and so stubborn about everything.”

“What? Like you?” Danny smirked.

“I'm not full of myself!” Ryan looked slightly offended, “I mean, I'm not really. I'm maybe a bit stubborn like. But nothing compared to him.”

“Sure, if you say so,” Danny didn't exactly look convinced but he didn't push it, “Were you two ever, you know… involved?”

“What?! Me and Shane?” Ryan gaped, “Are you mad? What makes you say that?”

“Well, I know you're into guys, and that just seemed more than just dislike… and...” Danny trailed off when he saw the look on Ryan's face, and added quickly, “but clearly I was wrong because you look like that so nevermind.”

“God, no. It’s not that like that at all,” Ryan shook his head with a dry laugh. It was laughable, after all.

 

Shane arrived at the art block still itching with acidic rage. His walk to the far side of campus didn’t really help but he knew being in the old, slightly dilapidated art rooms would cool his mind. They had high ceilings with beams and artwork all over the wood-panelled walls. The style changed dramatically every few feet as a different student took up wall space, but the discontinuous patterns of colour and medium was satisfying to Shane's eye. He was majoring in art and design but his minor was in art history, so he appreciated the variety of eras and styles represented on the walls. He swept through the corridors and interconnecting workrooms until he reached one at the far end of the building.

He threw had bag down in the oldest and smallest workroom. There were hundreds of books of source material on one wall, that were dusty and unused since most students used the internet to gather secondary sources. He took a deep breath, disturbing the dust particles that shuddered in the air. The wood-panels were not white-washed, unlike in the other rooms, meaning that despite the large window, it was always darker than elsewhere. That made it unpopular, but Shane liked it. He didn’t mind the dust in the air clinging to his paint as it dried or even the gloomier feel, and he loved the quiet. Only one other girl, Sara, used the room very often and they got on well. It was perfect.

He worked until late, alone in comfortable silence. He liked working at night. The quiet helped him do some of his best work. It was nearly 2 am when he finished and packed up and that’s when he heard it. Shane froze. A sort of scuffling noise from outside the window on the far side of the room, as if someone or something was scratching at the wall. A few strides and he was stood, looking out into the dark. It was hard to see very far as the path wasn’t well lit on this side of the building and the light coming from inside the room turned the window pane into a mirror. He pressed his face to the glass and tried to look left and right. He could hear it again, coming from the bushes further down against the wall. Shane’s heart was beating fast though he wasn’t quite sure why. It was probably an animal. Maybe a stray dog.

He unlatched the big sash window and pushed it up, leaving a three inch gap at about waist height.

"Hello? Is someone there?" his voice sounded more hesitant than he meant it, bent double to speak through the opening.

He strained his eyes in the darkness, the light coming from the room not casting enough of a beam to be able to see much in either direction. He could've sworn he heard a whispered word in response but after that it fell silent. After a second more of a wait, he huffed out a sigh of derision and shut the heavy window with a resounding thud. He took a deep breath. It had been a long night. He could’ve been anything and it was almost definitely nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> hi i'm a praise-avore who lives on kudos and comments please feed me
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](sunshinebergara.tumblr.com)!


End file.
